With summer coming to a close and school back in session, the Dixie Baseball All-Stars season has also wrapped up.
The Spring Hill American White AAA Minors (age 9-10) squad was largely comprised of players who won a World Series as AA Rookies (age 7-8) two years ago. They came close to adding another World Series crown to their resumes, finishing second in this year’s AAA Minors World Series in Oxford, Ala., taking place Aug. 5-10.
SH American White, coached by John McMurdo, defeated host Oxford on opening day, 11-0, and the North Carolina state champ the next day, 6-2, before falling to Hartsville Northern (S.C.) on Aug. 8, 3-1.
On Aug. 9, SH American White rebounded with a 6-4 victory over North Carolina, then thumped Tennessee later in the day, 14-4. That set up a final won by Hartsville Northern, 16-0.
Meanwhile, in Bluffton, S.C., the Spring Hill Senior Boys (age 14) All-Stars were competing in their World Series and advancing to the final four.
Spring Hill started its tournament run on Aug. 5 playing Southeastern Montgomery (Ala.). Collin Nelson hit a home run to tie it in the top of the seventh inning, but Spring Hill lost in the bottom half in walk-off fashion, 2-1.
Battling back from the loser’s bracket, Spring Hill defeated Newton County (Ga.) the next day, 10-8. Down 7-4 in the seventh, the Hernando County club rallied back on a three-run homer by Zeth Rodriguez. After Newton County scored in the top of the eighth, Rodriguez drove in the tying run again on a two-out bunt single.
The game ended in the ninth, Anthony Anselmo blasting a walk-off two-run bomb to keep Spring Hill’s hopes alive.
“I think it took a few years off my life,” Spring Hill head coach Jimmy Holt said. “We were hoping and praying that someone would come through. Time after time somebody always came through.”
A doubleheader on Aug. 7 resulted in two wins, 21-4 over White Oak (Texas) and 5-4 versus Hope Mills (N.C.). A day later, Spring Hill lost, 14-4, to Hattiesburg (Miss.) in a performance riddled with uncharacteristic errors.
“I’m proud of the way our kids played. They never quit, no matter the situation,” Holt said. “We were down many times, where somebody had to make a play and somebody always made a play.
“Our guys were solid. They hit well, ran the bases well, played excellent defense and that’s what got us to the final four. I think they did well, and Spring Hill and the community should be proud of what they did.”
Holt admitted this was a particularly important trip because this is the final age group for Spring Hill Dixie Baseball. The players will move on to the high school level, spreading out between Nature Coast and Springstead.
“It was a really good experience. I think we made life-long friends along the way. We got close with some of the parents and coaches,” Holt said. “The future, I think, bodes well for the community in general. I’m proud of the boys, I really am. We did the best we could with what we had and it’s a strong group of kids that will go far in life.”
Follow Chris Bernhardt Jr. on Twitter @cpbernhardtjr.